reform
Americannoun
-
the improvement or amendment of what is wrong, corrupt, unsatisfactory, etc..
social reform; spelling reform.
- Synonyms:
- amelioration, betterment, reformation, correction
- Antonyms:
- deterioration
-
an instance of this.
-
the amendment of conduct, belief, etc.
verb (used with object)
-
to change to a better state, form, etc.; improve by alteration, substitution, abolition, etc.
-
to cause (a person) to abandon wrong or evil ways of life or conduct.
-
to put an end to (abuses, disorders, etc.).
-
Chemistry. to subject to the process of reforming, as in refining petroleum.
verb (used without object)
adjective
verb
-
(tr) to improve (an existing institution, law, practice, etc) by alteration or correction of abuses
-
to give up or cause to give up a reprehensible habit or immoral way of life
-
chem to change the molecular structure of (a hydrocarbon) to make it suitable for use as petrol by heat, pressure, and the action of catalysts
noun
-
an improvement or change for the better, esp as a result of correction of legal or political abuses or malpractices
-
a principle, campaign, or measure aimed at achieving such change
-
improvement of morals or behaviour, esp by giving up some vice
Other Word Forms
- antireform adjective
- misreform verb
- prereform adjective
- proreform adjective
- reformability noun
- reformable adjective
- reformableness noun
- reformative adjective
- reformatively adverb
- reformativeness noun
- reformer noun
- reformingly adverb
- self-reform noun
- superreform noun
- unreformable adjective
- unreformative adjective
Etymology
Origin of reform
First recorded in 1300–50; (for the verb) Middle English reformen, from Middle French reformer, Old French, from Latin refōrmāre; equivalent to re- + form; noun derivative of the verb
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Grinch boosters point out that the villain repents and reforms at the end of the story, shedding his pathological hatred of Christmas.
From Los Angeles Times
In the months since Justin Welby's resignation, the Church has been struggling to reform the way it deals with abuse, but the record has been patchy - partly because of the C of E's decision-making processes.
From BBC
Ending the subsidies is part of a package of reforms announced by Paz to end an economic crisis.
From Barron's
“We will fight to restore these critical reforms and protect American lives,” McLaughlin said in a statement.
From Salon
As the chair interview and nomination process has unfolded, Bessent has laid out a reform program that would return the Treasury-Fed relationship to something resembling that earlier era.
From Barron's
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
